Red-bellied Woodpecker (male)

The red-bellied woodpecker has a reddish blush on it's belly that we usually don't see when the body of the bird is up against the tree. I was happy when this guy showed up, as daylight was waning and I didn't have much to show for my photo outing this afternoon.

Red-bellied woodpeckers have a white/black ladder pattern on their back. The male has a red cap from front to the neck, and the female has red patches on the back of the neck and top of the bill.

From what I've observed, red-bellied woodpeckers prefer large trees. This male was high over my head in Marina Woods Park, a 1.8 acre park with mature trees on the west side of the Fox River in Oswego.